Homeless soccer stars to tackle prejudice

AN all-Ireland soccer team was having a final kick-about yesterday as it prepared to jet off to Sweden for the Homeless World Cup.

Far from the glitz and the glamour of more conventional international championships, the competition aims to highlight the issue of homelessness and poverty worldwide.

The Ireland squad comprises 20 players from Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Belfast, all of whom are homeless or living in hostels. For the majority, as they board the plane today it will be their first time abroad.